Is Zappos Being Fair to the American Worker?

I’m a fan of Zappos. I like the customer service model. I like their blog. I visited their headquarters near Las Vegas before most people knew the company existed. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of their new hiring strategy, which asks applicants to join a social network, called Zappos Insiders, where they will network with current employees and…

Free Will

It’s no secret that HR ladies are addicted to Diet Coke. My friend, Jennifer McClure, is no exception. She is one of those women with an emotional, passionate attachment to Diet Coke. We went to the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, two weeks ago, and this is the only shot of our gorgeous hotel room. But she’s not addicted. “I can quit…

Jew or Not a Jew?

Years ago, I wrote for AOL. It was a simple arrangement: I covered work, career advice and boobs. (That’s AOL.) I stopped writing for them after my favorite editor found a new job. And I wasn’t sad to say goodbye to the compost toilet that is the AOL comments section. If you want to see America at…

Velcro Leadership

You might think cats are independent and aloof. Not mine. I have velcro cats. They love me. They love my husband. They always want to hang out with us. I can’t go to the bathroom without someone coming to see what the heck I’m doing. “You might be having some fun, mom. I want in.”…

The Power of Perception

I am speaking at an event called recruitDC on Thursday. I will talk about personal branding for HR and recruiting professionals. I have given this talk 100 times. Sometimes it’s geared for human resources professionals. Sometimes I talk to job seekers. And I have delivered this keynote in a bar to a bunch of drunks-slash-comedians. (This is…

3 Steps to Work-Life Balance

I am just back from a great vacation where I spent Mother’s Day on a beach. That’s the kind of life you have when you are a writer who covers work, life and cats. Mother’s Day always prompts a superficial and short-lived national discussion motherhood, work, and the challenges facing the modern family. Nobody wants…

Feline Acne

Scrubby has a ridiculous case of acne. It was so bad that we had to make an appointment with our vet, a woman with a combined DVM/PhD degree, to give him a facial. My vet shaved Scrubby’s chin, applied a hot compress, and squeezed the hell out of his zits. She also prescribed an antibiotic and…